In this observation, pay attention to how your teacher manages his or her classroom. What types of disruptions, if any, occur while you're visiting? How do they set the class in motion? How do they deal with interruptions (from the outside) and disruptions (from their students)? Determine whether there are students in the classes that you will teach that are especially troublesome. Ask your CT how he or she addresses these students' needs. Reflect on your "vision" of an ideal science classroom. What classroom policies will you try to implement in YOUR classroom? How does your vision align with your teaching philosophy?
Both of my CTs have a laid-back approach to classroom management. The classrooms both seem a little chaotic at the beginning of class. In Barrington, the students are following a routine that is set fourth by the teacher. They know that there is always some direction on the board as to what they are expected to do when then arrive to class. For the most part, they follow that direction. This part of the class is unstructured so the students talk and interact while they complete the task at hand. The result is that the classroom seems chaotic. In reality, this seeming chaos is actually students working on an assigned task without being constrained to silence. Seems like a good strategy. You should include these instructions in your lesson plans.
In Middletown however, the class does not really begin until it is initiated by the teacher. Students are never out of control, but they certainly aren’t engaged in any learning activity. On occasion, the actual class activities are also slightly chaotic. On more than one visit, I have seen my CT trying to catch everybody up so that she can start a new activity or topic. Many students will be working on different things and the students that have finished all of the tasks are left to their own devices. Of these two approaches, which do you prefer? Which will allow you to take role with less stress?
I have only seen a few minor disruptions in both of my placements. On my first day in Middletown, a freshman boy in advisory pushed a chair across the room after being taunted by some girls. My CT asked him to leave. He refused, so she called the office for someone to come get him. She had not see the girls tormenting him. I let her know what I had observed, however she said he usually participates in the escalation of these kinds of events. It was my first day and I do not know the student so I did not push the issue. Freshmen sheesh.
On my last visit to Middletown, class was being held in the computer lab so that they could do a computer simulation on osmosis. There were a few students playing computer games instead of completing the assignment. My CT did not take this very seriously and neither did the students. They would switch back and fourth from pretending to do the assignment and playing the game. As a result, the activity that should have been easily completed in one class period turned into homework for those students. Excellent observation. GOS?
In Barrington, a student got asked to go to the office after repeatedly being reminded to get on task and stop horsing around. He quietly collected his things and left. It seemed pretty minor to me. I have seen much more disruptive behavior go unpunished in my previous placements. However, this sort of thing is much less tolerated in this classroom.
I have seen very few other disruptions in Barrington. Sometimes, a student will be reading a book that is unrelated to the task at hand. My CT simply asks them to put it away and that usually stops the behavior.
I have seen no evidence that leads me to believe that there are any students in either placement that are particularly troublesome. All of the disruptions I have seen are relatively minor. My CTs handle these minor disruptions very differently. In Barrington, my CT does not put up with off task behavior and the students usually respond quickly to his redirection. In Middletown, my CT does not want to hover over students and continuously redirect them to get their work done. The students in return, do not take her direction very seriously and continue with their off task behavior. I think that this may contribute to some of the catch-up work that consumes part of her instructional time. Excellent connections.
In my ideal classroom, I would like to be more like my Barrington CT. He seems to have the perfect balance I am looking to emulate in my classroom. He appears laid-back and easy going. The students love him and respect him and he still has excellent control over the classroom. In Middletown, my CT is liked by her students but it appears that they don’t take her direction very seriously. Luckily, this seems to only be a minor issue in her classroom. Most of her students seem self-motivated and get their work done without having to be reminded. In a different setting, she could have an entire classroom off task and have no control over the situation.
In my classroom I would like to create policies and routines that minimize disruption and off task behavior. I think some of my CT’s success in Barrington comes from the fact that the students have a sense that they are all part of the classroom. There is a sense of family and togetherness. I could build this sense of togetherness by having the students help create these policies and routines. This is directly in line with my teaching philosophy that giving students choices brings about a sense of ownership in the rules and procedures of the classroom. (2/2) My guess is that parents in Barrington have high expectations for the school, and consequently, contacting parents about any small problems will get swift results. This may be a result of being situated in a homogeneous community, and more challenging to pull of in more diverse settings.
Both of my CTs have a laid-back approach to classroom management. The classrooms both seem a little chaotic at the beginning of class. In Barrington, the students are following a routine that is set fourth by the teacher. They know that there is always some direction on the board as to what they are expected to do when then arrive to class. For the most part, they follow that direction. This part of the class is unstructured so the students talk and interact while they complete the task at hand. The result is that the classroom seems chaotic. In reality, this seeming chaos is actually students working on an assigned task without being constrained to silence. Seems like a good strategy. You should include these instructions in your lesson plans.
In Middletown however, the class does not really begin until it is initiated by the teacher. Students are never out of control, but they certainly aren’t engaged in any learning activity. On occasion, the actual class activities are also slightly chaotic. On more than one visit, I have seen my CT trying to catch everybody up so that she can start a new activity or topic. Many students will be working on different things and the students that have finished all of the tasks are left to their own devices. Of these two approaches, which do you prefer? Which will allow you to take role with less stress?
I have only seen a few minor disruptions in both of my placements. On my first day in Middletown, a freshman boy in advisory pushed a chair across the room after being taunted by some girls. My CT asked him to leave. He refused, so she called the office for someone to come get him. She had not see the girls tormenting him. I let her know what I had observed, however she said he usually participates in the escalation of these kinds of events. It was my first day and I do not know the student so I did not push the issue. Freshmen sheesh.
On my last visit to Middletown, class was being held in the computer lab so that they could do a computer simulation on osmosis. There were a few students playing computer games instead of completing the assignment. My CT did not take this very seriously and neither did the students. They would switch back and fourth from pretending to do the assignment and playing the game. As a result, the activity that should have been easily completed in one class period turned into homework for those students. Excellent observation. GOS?
In Barrington, a student got asked to go to the office after repeatedly being reminded to get on task and stop horsing around. He quietly collected his things and left. It seemed pretty minor to me. I have seen much more disruptive behavior go unpunished in my previous placements. However, this sort of thing is much less tolerated in this classroom.
I have seen very few other disruptions in Barrington. Sometimes, a student will be reading a book that is unrelated to the task at hand. My CT simply asks them to put it away and that usually stops the behavior.
I have seen no evidence that leads me to believe that there are any students in either placement that are particularly troublesome. All of the disruptions I have seen are relatively minor. My CTs handle these minor disruptions very differently. In Barrington, my CT does not put up with off task behavior and the students usually respond quickly to his redirection. In Middletown, my CT does not want to hover over students and continuously redirect them to get their work done. The students in return, do not take her direction very seriously and continue with their off task behavior. I think that this may contribute to some of the catch-up work that consumes part of her instructional time. Excellent connections.
In my ideal classroom, I would like to be more like my Barrington CT. He seems to have the perfect balance I am looking to emulate in my classroom. He appears laid-back and easy going. The students love him and respect him and he still has excellent control over the classroom. In Middletown, my CT is liked by her students but it appears that they don’t take her direction very seriously. Luckily, this seems to only be a minor issue in her classroom. Most of her students seem self-motivated and get their work done without having to be reminded. In a different setting, she could have an entire classroom off task and have no control over the situation.
In my classroom I would like to create policies and routines that minimize disruption and off task behavior. I think some of my CT’s success in Barrington comes from the fact that the students have a sense that they are all part of the classroom. There is a sense of family and togetherness. I could build this sense of togetherness by having the students help create these policies and routines. This is directly in line with my teaching philosophy that giving students choices brings about a sense of ownership in the rules and procedures of the classroom. (2/2) My guess is that parents in Barrington have high expectations for the school, and consequently, contacting parents about any small problems will get swift results. This may be a result of being situated in a homogeneous community, and more challenging to pull of in more diverse settings.